Eric Litwin on Crafting Stories Kids Love: Music, Early Literacy & Fighting the Attention Economy

What if joyful, musical storytelling could rebuild kids’ love of reading even in a world dominated by screens

In this episode of The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast we sit down with ‪@ericlitwinbooks‬, the original author of Pete the Cat and a #1 New York Times bestselling creator whose innovative use of music, rhythm, and storytelling has transformed early literacy for millions of children

"If we want kids to love reading we must out-fun the screens and we can" — Eric Litwin

About Eric Litwin

Eric Litwin is the author of the original Pete the Cat series including:
I Love My White Shoes, Rocking in My School Shoes, Four Groovy Buttons, and Saves Christmas as well as Groovy Joe, The Nuts, The Power of Joyful Reading, and The Poop Song
His books have sold over 17 million copies worldwide and are celebrated for their engaging use of music, rhyme, and interactive storytelling which support early reading skills.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

How music, rhyme, rhythm, and call-and-response support the five pillars of reading
How interactive storytelling builds vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension
Why the attention economy challenges children’s reading habits
The decade of school performances that shaped Pete the Cat before publication
How authors can build their own audience and community even when traditionally published
Writing stories that serve both specific literacy needs and general audiences
How joy and verbal interaction can compete with digital distractions
A preview of Eric’s upcoming mindfulness-through-music program for kids, teens, and adults

Whether you are creating children’s books or supporting young readers in the classroom this episode provides actionable guidance and inspiration

Explore Eric’s Work and More Resources

Visit Eric Litwin’s resources and upcoming projects
to explore his books, music, literacy tools, and check out our upcoming Storyteller’s Shelf Winter Summit

Podcast and Support Links

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